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Canadian Celiac Association Pushes For OHIP Coverage of Celiac Blood Test, Amongst Other Awareness Day Initiatives

Canadian Celiac Association Pushes For OHIP Coverage of Celiac Blood Test, Amongst Other Awareness Day Initiatives

TORONTO, May 16, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- For International Celiac Awareness Day, the Canadian Celiac Association (CCA) plans to meet at Queen’s Park at 10:30 a.m. to call on MPPs to support OHIP coverage for the IgA TTG serological test for celiac disease.

The lack of OHIP coverage for the IgA TTG serological test is a problem the CCA is aiming to change, especially in Ontario, which remains the only province that doesn’t cover the blood test necessary for detecting celiac disease.

The CCA states the benefits of OHIP coverage of the test will produce earlier diagnosis of celiac disease, which will reduce the number of years thousands of Canadians suffer from failing health and will translate into real cost savings for the provincial health care system.

“Because the only treatment for celiac disease is for individuals to follow a strict gluten-free diet, funds spent on unnecessary prescription drugs will be reduced, as will unnecessary diagnostic tests and visits to doctors and hospitals,” says CCA executive director Melissa Secord.

Members of the CCA and members of parliament will also be at Queen’s Park to lend their support.

To date, the CCA has collected over 3,000 signatures on its Blood Testing petition. Click here to sign the petition and join those who have already supported this cause.

Additionally, as part of its International Celiac Disease Awareness Day efforts, the CCA has launched two new patient-focused reference tools, designed to educate Canadians on the condition and promote early diagnosis.

The Symptom Quiz is a self-assessment questionnaire to help patients start a dialogue with their doctor about celiac disease.

The Growing Up Celiac Workbook, is a resource guide designed for parents of young children with celiac disease and offers tips on everything from packing school lunches to navigating social situations at school, birthday parties and sporting events.

The Canadian Celiac Association / L’Association canadienne de la maladie coeliaque is a volunteer-based, federally registered charitable organization with its national office in Mississauga, Ontario. It was founded in 1972 with financial assistance from the Kaufman Foundation, with the initial mandate of providing information on sources of gluten-free food, fostering research and encouraging mutual support among celiacs. Today the association serves people with celiac disease and dermatitis herpetiformis through 28 affiliated chapters and 30 satellite groups across Canada.